Five-Axis Tool Path Generation

Definition

In order to produce parts with a complex-shaped geometry, milling machines have to be programmed in a way that milling tool movements result in removing all necessary excessive material. Starting from a CAD model, Fig.
1illustrates the main phases of preparing the NC-programs for NC machining. Based on the CAD model, the CAM software generates a tool path, a description of tool movements in the part coordinate system, depending on the part geometry and settings defined by the CAM engineer. The output of the CAM system is a CLDATA-file (controller independent) which in a next step is converted by an NC-postprocessor to an NC-program. The latter describes the tool movements within a machine coordinate system. The postprocessor is also responsible for converting commands into a format that is supported by the exact controller of a machine at which the tool path will be executed. The output of the postprocessor is a file of instructions (commonly named G-code instructions)...